noun
chief
cheef
noun
1
The leader or head of a group, organization, or tribe.
"The fire chief arrived first at the scene."
"She was named chief of the department after years of service."
adj
1
Most important; primary.
"Rising costs were the chief reason for the delay."
How to Use Chief
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe person in charge of a group, or, as an adjective, the main or most important thing.
Common pairings
chief executive
police chief
chief reason
commander-in-chief
Word Forms
chiefer comparative, more chief comparative, chiefed past tense, chiefs plural, chiefs singular, chiefest superlative, most chief superlative
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Etymology
Ultimately from Latin caput ("head"), by way of Old French chief — making "chief" a distant cousin of "captain," "cap," and even "head" itself.